Diana R. Johnson Labour, Kingston upon Hull North

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 September 2020 to Question 93554, what the scientific basis is for his Department's decision not to enforce mandatory face coverings for taxi and private hire drivers.

(Citation: HC Deb, 1 October 2020, cW)

Rachel Maclean Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport’s guidance for transport operators (Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer transport guidance for operators) advises that the risks of coronavirus should be identified through operator's conducting risk assessments. These inform decisions and measures to be put in place to protect both transport workers and customers. We continually review guidance for safer transport in line with scientific advice.

Evidence tells us that the most effective measures are social distancing, rigorous hand hygiene, not touching one’s face and good ventilation of fresh air. It is up to the operator to use their risk assessments to determine if face coverings are a practical and safe protective measure based upon specific job roles.

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2020-09-28.96010.h&s=Taxi#g96010.q0

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GLASGOW; Ear ! Ear!

A mum has been left with half an ear after it was bitten off and left on the floor of a taxi as she tried to act as a peacemaker between feuding sisters on a night out.

Gillian Furphy had been celebrating her brother Peter’s engagement in October last year when she was set upon by 22-year-old Amy McInulty.

Following the savage attack, half of her left ear was lying on the floor of a taxi.

The 45-year-old carer, of Glasgow, Scotland, was then rushed to hospital where she needed 19 stitches to close the 5cm gash.

But her nightmare was far from over, as just weeks later, her wound became infected, sparking deadly sepsis – when the body mistakenly attacks itself – which left her so unwell that she missed her brother’s wedding.

Appearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court in August, McInulty, of Royston, Glasgow, admitted assault and causing severe injury and permanent disfigurement, and was ordered to perform 210 hours of unpaid work, also being tagged and placed on a six-month 8pm to 8am curfew.

Gillian who is married to joiner Derek, 45, and has three daughters aged 24, 19, and 15, who she does not wish to name, remains furious that she was spared jail, saying: “I thought she would get a harsher sentence. Six months on a curfew is nothing when I’ve been left with half an ear.”

“The girl that did this is 22 – a similar age to my daughters. I just don’t know how anybody could act in this way,” she continued.

“It scares the life out of me. If someone can do that, what else are they capable of?”

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/uk-world-news/mums-ear-bitten-left-taxi-4569353

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LIVERPOOL

A 70-year-old grandad who spend nearly half a century driving a cab was forced to live in the back of his taxi after becoming homeless during the coronavirus lockdown.

John 'Ted' McMullen worked as a taxi driver for 49 years in Liverpool, yet found himself unable to work when his health deteriorated.

But thanks to the Torus Foundation, Mr McMullen now has his own apartment to call home, has become part of a community and feels safe.

Mr McMullen, from Dovecot, suffered a stroke prior to the arrival of the pandemic, but was still able to work as lockdown hit.

He moved into a supported accommodation complex on March 27, after losing his placement in a hotel.

From there he continued his job as a taxi driver for part of the lockdown period, but had to have minimal contact with other people.

Within a few weeks, Mr McMullen's health deteriorated and he had to go to hospital.

When he was discharged, he said: "I was told to pack up work straight away."

John 'Ted' McMullen in his new Kirkby home after being supported by the Torus foundation 

His mobility suffered and Mr McMullen then suffered a "number of falls", Torus said.

Mr McMullen told the ECHO: "I was living in the back of my cab for a while because I had nowhere to go.

"The staff [who helped] have been brilliant, just fantastic. They've really helped me a lot, because I was homeless."

Mr McMullen now has an apartment in Kirkby.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/grandad-who-spent-49-years-19029674